how do you make a bootdisk?

[lavaman094]

I made a boot disk during the Knoppix install process, because my system will not boot without a boot disk because of my hardware configuration.

I have backed up my bootdisk using "dd", but when I tried to make another one using any debian utitiles that I could find, the bootdisks were unsucessful at booting my system.

I tried some sorta "mkbootdisk" command that I can't remember anymore, but it didn't boot my system. It came up with lilo and then stopped. My knoppix bootdisk uses SYSLINUX, and I'm sure there's some sorta utilty that can make boot disks right?

I searched my packages and tried mindi. This utitity can't create a bootdisk, instead it creates a set of six disks, which is not what a bootdisk is ;-)

If it matters, I'm booting off my primary slave drive, that's the way it is. Rather disappointingly, I can't change that, I hooked up the linux drive as primary master and when I booted with my boot floppy it wouldn't boot. I don't think regular boot worked either. Note that I have 4-5 partitions on this drive and the first two are FAT32 data partitions.

[todsr1]

All you need to do, to make a boot floppy of a working kernel is type

mkboot /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22 (or whatever your vmlinuz file is *actually* called)

[lavaman094]

All you need to do, to make a boot floppy of a working kernel is type

mkboot /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22 (or whatever your vmlinuz file is *actually* called)

OK, I tried this, but when I tried to boot off the disk it showed a LILO screen with a "boot:" prompt. I hit enter and it said Loading" then "LinuxEDBD (or similiar) Linux kernel setup space overlaps LILO second stage" appeared immediately on the same line as Loading

Any other ideas?

[Dave_Bechtel]

--Boot from CD into runlevel 2 ' knoppix 2 '
o ' mkdosfs -F 32 -v /dev/fd0 ' == Format floppy
o ' syslinux -s /dev/fd0 ' == Write bootsector

o ' mkdir /mnt/floppy '
o ' mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy '

o ' mkdir /mnt/blah '
o ' mount /dev/your-root-partition /mnt/blah '
o ' cp /mnt/blah/boot/vmlinuz /mnt/floppy '

--This is what my floppy syslinux.cfg file looks like (my kernel file is krnl2422 instead of vmlinuz, and I boot /dev/hde due to an IDE PCI controller card)


default knoppix
#prompt 1
#timeout 50
label knoppix
kernel krnl2422
append root=/dev/hde3 ro vga=ext apm=power-off hda=scsi hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi nomce idebus=66


--Put whatever cheatcodes you need.

*2003.1030 + Edited to copy correct kernel file from HD root-partition instead of CD


I made a boot disk during the Knoppix install process, because my system will not boot without a boot disk because of my hardware configuration.

I have backed up my bootdisk using "dd", but when I tried to make another one using any debian utitiles that I could find, the bootdisks were unsucessful at booting my system.

I tried some sorta "mkbootdisk" command that I can't remember anymore, but it didn't boot my system. It came up with lilo and then stopped. My knoppix bootdisk uses SYSLINUX, and I'm sure there's some sorta utilty that can make boot disks right?

I searched my packages and tried mindi. This utitity can't create a bootdisk, instead it creates a set of six disks, which is not what a bootdisk is ;-)

If it matters, I'm booting off my primary slave drive, that's the way it is. Rather disappointingly, I can't change that, I hooked up the linux drive as primary master and when I booted with my boot floppy it wouldn't boot. I don't think regular boot worked either. Note that I have 4-5 partitions on this drive and the first two are FAT32 data partitions.

[lavaman094]

While that knoppix tip may product a functioning boot disk, it does not answer my question.

I use debian, and I was wondering if there was a debian utility or program or command I could use to make a bookdisk.

I have already tried:
mkboot /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22
and "mindi" which I tried with both it's own kernel and my own. I used the "best configuration for lilo".

[Dave_Bechtel]

-=-Your original topic question was, and I quote: "how do you make a bootdisk?" I gave you instructions on how to re-create a syslinux bootdisk, since:

a) you already mentioned that's what you use, and

b) That's the method that I use to boot my server as well. It's much less complicated than lilo or grub, even if it is a bit slower.

--You mentioned that you made a bootdisk during the Knoppix install process. You also mentioned that you made a 'dd' copy of said disk; I have no idea why dd'ing that image file to a floppy again doesn't work for you, but nonetheless posted specific instructions on how to make another boot disk that functions exactly the same way, using tools that are already included with your install. In addition, my instructions are not necessarily specific/limited to Debian, and are applicable to any distro that you can install syslinux on.

--If all you needed was a way to boot the Knoppix CD, I would have said "dd the boot.img file from cdrom to floppy" but no, I posted instructions on how to make a bootdisk for your HD install with syslinux, as you requested.. Did you even TRY them?


While that knoppix tip may product a functioning boot disk, it does not answer my question.

I use debian, and I was wondering if there was a debian utility or program or command I could use to make a bookdisk.

I have already tried:
mkboot /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22
and "mindi" which I tried with both it's own kernel and my own. I used the "best configuration for lilo".

[lavaman094]

Hmm...sorry, I just was disappointed that debian couldn't produce a bootdisk.

Yes, I did brush you off a tad, my apologies. No, I haven't run that, I assume that they will work and I have saved them for future reference.

[Dave_Bechtel]

--Fair enough, apology accepted. Note that you might want to re-write down the instructions, I edited the post to copy the kernel file from your root partition instead of CD.


Hmm...sorry, I just was disappointed that debian couldn't produce a bootdisk.

Yes, I did brush you off a tad, my apologies. No, I haven't run that, I assume that they will work and I have saved them for future reference.

[lavaman094]

Fair enough, apology accepted. Note that you might want to re-write down the instructions, I edited the post to copy the kernel file from your root partition instead of CD.



ehhh....I tried your original instructions and it immediately says "Boot failed" upon trying to boot of the floppy. Will your new instructions work better? Why would my own vmlinuz file work and not the knoppix CD's vmlinuz file?

[Dave_Bechtel]

--Did you put a syslinux.cfg file on the floppy, and modify it to fit your kernel filename (vmlinuz) and root device (/dev/hdbX)?

--I modified the instructions so that if you had recompiled your kernel, yours would be copied to floppy instead of Knoppix's. If you're just using the default, no need to mount your root partition, you can just copy the kernel from cd.



Fair enough, apology accepted. Note that you might want to re-write down the instructions, I edited the post to copy the kernel file from your root partition instead of CD.



ehhh....I tried your original instructions and it immediately says "Boot failed" upon trying to boot of the floppy. Will your new instructions work better? Why would my own vmlinuz file work and not the knoppix CD's vmlinuz file?

[lavaman094]

Uh, whoops!

I'll do that next time.

I'm confused. Both "mkboot" and "mindi" are according to whatis, are programs that make boot disks, but neither produced a working boot disk. Why not?


--Did you put a syslinux.cfg file on the floppy, and modify it to fit your kernel filename (vmlinuz) and root device (/dev/hdbX)?

--I modified the instructions so that if you had recompiled your kernel, yours would be copied to floppy instead of Knoppix's. If you're just using the default, no need to mount your root partition, you can just copy the kernel from cd.



Fair enough, apology accepted. Note that you might want to re-write down the instructions, I edited the post to copy the kernel file from your root partition instead of CD.



ehhh....I tried your original instructions and it immediately says "Boot failed" upon trying to boot of the floppy. Will your new instructions work better? Why would my own vmlinuz file work and not the knoppix CD's vmlinuz file?